Day...Who Cares! We're Coming Home!

Actually, I can't resist. Today is Day 43 since we left home on June 14th, and Day 36 post op. Hey, I can't break the countdown now!

We had our last post op visit with Dr. Lambert this afternoon. When we walked in, one of the front clerks said, "Oh there you are Nathan!" Another said, "How are you today? Think you'll get the green light this time?" It's crazy...the staff knows us, and pretty much our whole story. The funny thing is that we've only had five appointments there (because we've spent most of our time in the hospital), and haven't really told our story...Nate's always been too sick to tell anyone anything before he gets whisked away in an ambulance.

Dr. Lambert came in and looked more relaxed than I've ever seen her. She was so pleased to see Nate looking so good! He did drop another pound, so he's down to 161, but otherwise looks amazing! She asked us if we felt comfortable going home, we said yes, and she said she did too. It was a rush of the most extreme relief I've ever felt. I wish I'd had my camera on Nate so I could've captured the look on his face. The only thing that would make this better is if we could bring Dr. Lambert home with us. We formed a wonderful relationship with her, and count her as a dear friend. She said it's hard for her to see us go, that she'll really miss us, but that she's very happy for us. She'll be out in Utah this October and we hope to see her then. We would love for our children to meet her. She's helped us get through a very difficult time, and has touched our lives in a profound way. We are forever grateful.

We'll miss seeing Dr. Lambert every day!

As if all the great blessings we've seen come our way weren't enough, we've experienced another little miracle. Nate has a drain inserted into his abdomen that continuously drains the infection that remains from when his bowel ruptured. He'll keep the drain as long as the infection continues to drain from it. Unfortunately, it's still putting out a lot of fluid, and one of the requirements for us to go home is that the drain has to come out. Dr. Lambert could let us go with the drain if we had a surgeon at home who was willing to follow Nate, but she was concerned that we might have a hard time finding one in Utah because most surgeons don't want to touch a HIPEC patient with a ten foot pole.

Dr. Lambert emailed our Medical Oncologist, Dr. Whisenant, to give him an update on Nate, and asked him if he had any thoughts on the matter. He immediately responded, and told her that there is  a surgeon in his practice that studied at MD Anderson Cancer Center who would be happy to follow Nate when we got home. It turns out that Dr. Lambert knows her! They trained together at MD Anderson. Because of this, we are able to go home with the drain in place, rather than wait here for the drainage to stop. This could be saving us weeks! Coincidence? I think not.

I know the Lord's hand has been over us throughout our entire journey here. We feel His love every day, and know that we've been carried much of the way. Having a surgeon to go home to is very comforting. I carry a certain amount of anxiety about leaving Dr. Lambert because I trust her with Nate's care. I'm so grateful that we'll have someone local who's willing to follow Nate, and coordinate with Dr. Lambert. We are truly in the Lord's care.

We fly home tomorrow from Boston. We have a short layover in DC, and arrive in Salt Lake City at 8:15 p.m. My heart races when I think of seeing our kids. I was so happy to hear their excitement as we told them of our plans. They've had no idea that we were even getting close, so when we told them we were coming home, then told them that it would be tomorrow, they were so excited!

We're grateful for the hospitality of the people here at the Hope Lodge in Worcester. Being able to stay here took an enormous amount of stress away from this whole ordeal. The people we've met here are wonderful. Everyone here has a story to tell. We've all experienced bits of heartache and bits of victory. I hope that I'll be able to figure out a way to give back to these amazing people.

I know I'm going to hit the ground running when I get home tomorrow, and I'm not sure I'm totally prepared. BUT, I am sure that I'm totally grateful!